An increasing number of patients with neurological disorders, such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease, are undergoing surgery to implant devices for treating the disorders using techniques such as deep brain stimulation. The implanted devices can include an electrode that is implanted into the brain and/or a cerebrospinal fluid shunt implanted into the patient's head. The implanted devices can also include a stimulator device that is implanted into the patient's chest. The stimulator is then connected to the implanted electrode by an electrical lead that is run underneath the patient's skin (epidermis and dermis) between the patient's head and the patient's chest. The stimulator can be activated automatically or manually to electrically stimulate the brain via the implanted electrode and thereby curb or prevent seizures or other symptoms caused by neurological disorders. In the case of the cerebrospinal fluid shunt being implanted in the patient's head, it is often necessary to run a catheter underneath the patient's skin and connect the catheter to the implanted shunt.
One complication with the aforementioned surgical procedures and treatment methods is that the process of tunneling through the tissue under the skin to extend either a electrical lead or a catheter between the patient's head and chest can be quite time consuming and requires that the patient be under general anesthesia for a relatively long period of time. The tunneling process typically involves the use of a long tunneling rod to push/pull the electrical lead, or the catheter as the case may be, between the patient's head and chest. Such a tunneling rod can be hard to use and inaccurate at times. Hence, a need exists for a fast, simple, and accurate method and apparatus for subcutaneously advancing an electrical lead or a catheter between a patient's head and chest.